19 Best universities for Political Economy in Japan

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Japan ranked based on their research performance in Political Economy. A graph of 27.3K citations received by 3.83K academic papers made by 19 universities in Japan was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Tokyo

For Political Economy

#16 in Asia

#332 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 36%
Enrollment: 28,918
Founded: 1877

2. Waseda University

For Political Economy

#30 in Asia

#451 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Enrollment: 47,094
Founded: 1882

3. Kyoto University

For Political Economy

#45 in Asia

#588 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Enrollment: 22,365
Founded: 1897

4. University of Tsukuba

Japan | Tsukuba

For Political Economy

#78 in Asia

#801 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 18%
Enrollment: 16,684
Founded: 1973

5. Sophia University

For Political Economy

#84 in Asia

#838 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment: 13,280
Founded: 1913

6. Kobe University

For Political Economy

#86 in Asia

#842 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 35%
Enrollment: 16,214
Founded: 1902

7. Hitotsubashi University

Japan | Kunitachi

For Political Economy

#91 in Asia

#863 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Enrollment: 6,287
Founded: 1875

8. Keio University

For Political Economy

#93 in Asia

#875 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Enrollment: 33,518
Founded: 1858

9. Hokkaido University

Japan | Sapporo

For Political Economy

#105 in Asia

#936 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 27%
Enrollment: 17,770
Founded: 1918

10. Ritsumeikan University

For Political Economy

#108 in Asia

#968 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1899

11. Kyushu University

Japan | Fukuoka

For Political Economy

#114 in Asia

#993 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Enrollment: 18,813
Founded: 1911

12. Doshisha University

For Political Economy

#141 in Asia

#1107 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 35%
Enrollment: 28,354
Founded: 1920

13. Osaka University

For Political Economy

#149 in Asia

#1143 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 13%
Enrollment: 23,234
Founded: 1931

14. National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies

For Political Economy

#150 in Asia

#1147 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Founded: 1997

15. Nagoya University

For Political Economy

#165 in Asia

#1207 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Enrollment: 15,959
Founded: 1939

16. Hiroshima University

Japan | Higashihiroshima

For Political Economy

#166 in Asia

#1209 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Enrollment: 15,505
Founded: 1949

17. Meiji University

For Political Economy

#176 in Asia

#1236 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 47%
Founded: 1881

18. Aoyama Gakuin University

For Political Economy

#191 in Asia

#1274 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 20,285
Founded: 1874

19. Tohoku University

For Political Economy

#197 in Asia

#1282 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 17,975
Founded: 1907

The best cities to study Political Economy in Japan based on the number of universities and their ranks are Tokyo, Kyoto, Tsukuba, and Kobe.

Economics subfields in Japan

Actuarial Science19

Agricultural Economics30

Development Studies235

Econometrics and Mathematical Economics150

Environmental Economics31

International Economics31

International Relations and Diplomacy18

International Trade41

Investment Banking and Stock trading34